Ball return game

ABSTRACT

A ball return game where a player is to throw a ball at a backboard. The game is to utilize a plurality of backboards located spaced apart but proximate. There is to be a single player on a single team for each backboard. Each player is to align himself or herself with a player determining location from a plurality of such locations. Depending upon the particular location the player is aligned with, the level of difficulty for the play will then be determined. Each backboard includes a plurality of spaced apart target areas with each target area to include a shock or vibration sensitive sensor. There is to be utilized a scoring display for each backboard with all scoring displays to be readily observed by all players therefore imparting a competitive environment between the players. Each target area is to include specific indicia which can function to be educational to the player.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The subject matter of this invention is directed to the using of aplurality of ball return backboards each of which is to rebound a ballto a player that is propelling a ball into a backboard.

2. Description of the Related Art

Backboards or rebound walls for ball sports have long been known.Particularly, such walls have been used within the game of tennis.However, usage of a wall that is activated electronically is arelatively new innovation. Such a wall is shown and described withinthis inventor's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/643,394, filed Aug.22, 2000, by the title of REBOUND WALL FOR BALL SPORTS. Electronicactivation permits the wall to be used to record a scoring value.

Children exercise best when they play, where fitness arises fromentertainment rather than discipline. Arcade and play-station type gameshave been instrumental in motivating children to achieve new levels ofhand-eye coordination. Unfortunately, these games promote a sedentarylifestyle. It would be desirable to design a game that involves the useof the child's hand, feet, eyes and ears to achieve a total bodyworkout. It would also be desirable to design a game that wasentertaining to the children while at the same time producing fitness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first basic embodiment of ball return game that utilizes a pluralityof backboards located in a spaced apart and proximate arrangement. Eachbackboard has a plurality of target areas with the target areas beingspread out in a spaced apart manner across each backboard. Each targetarea has a vibration sensitive sensor. Each backboard is adapted to havepropelled against it a ball by a player with there being a plurality ofplayers with there being a single player or team of players perbackboard. Upon a ball striking a target area, an electrical pulse istransmitted to a microprocessor and a scoring value accumulated anddisplayed on each backboard with the scoring value of all the backboardsbeing displayed with a competitive environment between the players beingobtained.

A further embodiment of the present invention is where the first basicembodiment is modified by the backboards being identical.

A further embodiment of the present invention is where included withineach backboard is indicia and specifically differentiating indicia.

A further embodiment of the present invention is where the just previousembodiment is modified by the indicia taking the form of differentshapes.

A further embodiment of the present invention is where the indiciaembodiment is modified by the indicia comprising different numeralswithin each backboard.

A further embodiment of the present invention is where the first basicembodiment is modified by there being defined player determininglocations located directly adjacent each backboard which determines theposition of the player or players for that particular backboard.Depending upon which player determining location is selected, the levelof difficulty in playing of the game is altered.

A second basic embodiment of the present invention comprises a method ofplaying a game which utilizes a plurality of ball return backboards withthe backboards located spaced apart but proximate. Designed within eachbackboard is a plurality of shock sensitive targets with the targetsbeing spread out across each backboard. The targets are connectedelectrically to a score display structure where each score for eachbackboard is displayed where the score for the backboards is increasedupon a ball striking a shock sensitive target so a competitiveenvironment is produced between the players of the different backboards.

A further embodiment of the present invention is where the second basicembodiment is modified by placing a series of player determininglocations in front of each backboard so players have an option ofselecting a level of difficulty of play depending upon the particularplayer determining location that is selected.

A further embodiment of the present invention is where the second basicembodiment is modified by the designing step also includes placing oneach backboard a shape indicia associated with each target with eachtarget having a different shape indicia. The player or players are to beaudibly told to propel a ball to a particular shape target, and if thattarget is then struck by the ball, a predetermined scoring value is thenscored.

A further embodiment of the present invention is where the second basicembodiment is modified by the designing step also includes placing oneach backboard a numerical value in conjunction with each target witheach target having a different numerical value. This permits the playeror players to be audibly directed to propel a ball to a particularnumerical value, and if that numerical value is struck, a certainscoring value will be displayed.

The structure of the present invention is directed to a multi-stationand structure led fitness program with emphasis on neurologicalefficiency, cardiovascular and sport skill training. The structure ofthe present invention is designed principally to be used by schools,health clubs, YMCAs, churches and camps. Scoring values are obtained bythrowing a ball to a target, and the more accurate the throwing of theball, the more points are earned. Children can play as individuals or inteams to achieve the highest possible score. Each player or playersplays against their own backboard which records its own score andprovides its own audible directives. All backboards will play the sametimed game concurrently which is controlled with a remote control by aninstructor. The playing of the game is timed by a central time clock.Brain and body fitness for the players takes place naturally and easilyin a fun, exciting and motivating environment.

General game sounds, voice animation and music are normally playedthrough the central computer that is utilized in conjunction with thegame of the present invention. Specific sounds directed individually toa particular backboard are supplied audibly, such as good and badfeedback.

The advantage of the present invention is that particularly withchildren the game of the present invention requires cooperation betweenthe hands, feet, eyes and ears which increases mental agility, brain andbody fitness, cardiovascular fitness, ball handling skills for any ballsport as well as sensory integration training. The game of the presentinvention focuses on neurological efficiency, cardio fitness and skillstraining. The game of the present invention improves kinesthetic sensesin young children. The game of the present invention promotesinterconnectivity between the hemispheres of the brain in young childrenwhen the young child's brain is thinking and developing. The game of thepresent invention is the fastest way to develop sports related skills,such as motor skills, reaction skills, quick hands and fast feet andeye/hand coordination. The playing of the game of the present inventiontakes place in a play format which produces a positive experience andhealthy attitude toward fitness. The game of the present invention ishighly motivating since the scoring value delivers instant feedback onthe pace of learning and improves self esteem in children. The game ofthe present invention has been proved to be helpful for children whohave difficulty with reading, physical coordination, and autism as wellas other medical problems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is to bemade to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that thepresent invention is not limited to the precise arrangement shown in thedrawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view depicting a plurality of backboards which areinterconnected together with various games being capable of being playedin conjunction with the backboards by a multitude of players;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a single backboard used in conjunction withthis invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a remote that is used in conjunction with thebackboards of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the electrical circuitry that is used toaffect operation of the backboards of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring particularly to FIG. 2, there is shown a rebound wall or ballreturn backboard 10 that is included within this invention. Thebackboard 10 has a front planar surface 12. Typically, the backboard 10will have a thickness of approximately four to six inches. The size ofthe backboard 10 would normally be four feet wide and eight feet highbut any size could be used.

Formed within the front planar surface 12 are target areas 14, 16, 18,20, 22, 24 and 26. Each of the target areas 14-26 basically include ashock or vibration sensitive sensor, which is shown generally as block28 in FIG. 4 of the drawings. Upon a target area 14-26 getting a directhit with a ball 30 which has been propelled by a human player, a signalis produced. The electrical signal that is produced is read by amicroprocessor 32. The microprocessor 32 is to produce a scoring valuewhich is to be displayed within a display window 62 of the particularbackboard 10 that received the contact by the ball 30. Themicroprocessor 32 is to be programmable to include various games thatcan be played using of the backboard 10 of this invention. The timerhousing 36 is to display within window 34 the time of play when playingof a particular game. Also, scoring values can be displayed within thewindow 34. Also, it is possible there could be displayed instructionsthat the player is to follow in order to achieve a certain score.

Each target area 14-26 is to include some type of indicia. The indiciacould comprise a particular shape, such as is clearly shown in FIG. 2.Typical shapes would be a parallelogram for target area 14, a pentagonfor target area 16, a triangle for target area 18, a circle for targetarea 20, a square for target area 22, a diamond for target area 24 and ahexagon for target area 26. Also, each target area 14-26 may be assigneda particular numerical indicia which again is shown in FIG. 2. Numberone is assigned to target area 22, number two is assigned to target area14, number three is assigned to target area 26, number four is assignedto target area 20, number five is assigned to target area 24, number sixis assigned to target area 18, and number seven is assigned to targetarea 16. Instructions, besides being displayed in the display window 34,can be produced audibly from the audio speaker 38 which is to direct theplayer to propel the ball to a particular target area. There may be aseparate audio speaker (not shown) for each backboard 10 and there maybe a general speaker associated with the timer housing 36. When theplayer contacts that particular target area, a particular score is thenobtained and will then be displayed within the display area 34. Theplayer that hits the correct target the greatest number of times willachieve the greatest score. The player could be directed to select aparticular shape or could be directed to hit a certain numerical valuewhich would be educational to a child by training the child thedifferent shapes or numbers. It is to be understood that the backboard10 could include a greater or lesser number of target areas. Also, thepattern or arrangement of the different target areas is deemed to be amatter of choice.

The operation of each backboard 10 is to be accomplished by means of aremote control 40. The remote control 40 is to have a series of buttons42, 44, 46 and 48. Pressing of button 42 will select a particular game,and if that particular game is not the desired game that is to beplayed, the instructor will again press button 42 which will bring upanother game. There may be five to ten or more of different gamesprogrammed into the microprocessor 32 and each time button 42 ispressed, a new game is brought up until all games have been brought upwhere further pressing of the button 42 will repeat the series of games.The difficulty of the play of the game can also be selected by pressingbutton 44. Various levels can be selected by pressing of button 44 froman easy level of play to a more difficult level of play. There may bethree or four different levels of play. Additionally, the amount of timethe game is to be played is to be selected by pressing of button 46. Thevolume of the audio from the speaker 38 can also be selected by pushingof button 48. The signals from the remote 40 are transmitted fromantenna 50 to an antenna 52 that is mounted on the timer housing 36. Thesignal input from the antenna 52 is to be transmitted into themicroprocessor 32. Power is to be supplied to the microprocessor 32 by apower supply 54 which typically will be normal household electricalcurrent.

Referring particularly to FIG. 1, four of the panels 10 are located in aside-by-side, spaced apart but proximate relationship. These panels areelectrically interconnected by means of conduits 56, 58 and 60. Eachbackboard 10 is connected to the timer housing 34 and the player that isplaying the backboard 10 that has the highest score, after a set periodof time, can be “selected to be the winner”. The particular score thatis achieved for a particular backboard 10 will be displayed directly onthe backboard in window 62. Window 34 is for the purpose of onlydisplaying information that is desired to be received by all theplayers.

Typically, each of the backboards 10 is to be mounted on a vertical wall66. Normally, the timer housing 36 will include a key lock 64. Theinstructor, who holds the remote control 40, is to also have a key whichwhen inserted within the key lock 64 and turning of that key willactivate the overall game system of the present invention.

In front of each backboard 10 and inscribed on a floor 68 are a seriesof horizontal lines 70, 72 and 74. With a player locating himself orherself at horizontal line 70, that player gets to enjoy the easiestlevel of play with the backboard 10. With the player locating himself orherself in alignment with the horizontal line 72, a greater level ofdifficulty of play will be encountered by the player. With the playerlocating himself or herself in conjunction with line 74, a still againgreater level of difficulty can be achieved in playing of the game. Thegreatest level of difficulty is to obtained when the player alignshimself or herself with the back line 76.

The ball 30 will normally be in the form of a small sized soccer ball.It is desirable for the ball 30 to be able to bounce so that afterstriking of the backboard 10 that it will pretty much return to theplayer in about the same general area of the player. This requires thatthe player catch the returned ball and again propel again it to thebackboard 10 to obtain another score.

Each of the vibration or shock sensors included within each target area14-26 would generally be in the form of a piezoelectric transducer. Thefunction of the piezoelectric transducer is to pick up theacoustic/vibrational wave which is created by the ball when striking therebound backboard 10. The microprocessor 32 will pick up the wave andknow from what precise location the wave was generated. The informationis then immediately supplied to the display area 62 for the particularbackboard 10. It has been found to be desirable that when using of agame arrangement as shown in FIG. 1, that where there is four of thebackboards 10 used, only one timer housing 36 is required. If a greaternumber of the backboards 10 are used, then possibly two or more innumber of the timer housings 36 will be required. For the system shownin FIG. 1, the desirable space that would be required would be twelvefeet distance from each backboard 10 to a back line 76 and a width ofabout twenty feet.

Typically, the horizontal lines 72-74 will be different colors. Line 70could be yellow, line 72 could be blue and line 74 could be red. Theback line 76 may be black.

Generally, there is to be an instructor, which is not shown, whenoperating of the game of the present invention. That instructor is tomake all the decisions during the playing of the game and is toestablish the type of game that is to be played.

One particular type of game that can by played is called “Rallywall”.All of the targets 14-26 are active and a hit anywhere is counted soalong as it is thrown with enough energy. The children have to throw aball 30 at their respective backboard 10 as many times as the player cando so within an allotted time period. The player with the highest scorewill be declared to be the winner.

Another game that can be played is called “Chase”. The target areas14-26 may be illuminated and only a score will be scored when a ballhits a particular target that is illuminated. The illuminating of thedifferent targets 14-26 can be accomplished in a sequential pattern.From the time that a particular target is illuminated, the player mayhave a limited amount of time in order to strike that target, such asbetween five to ten seconds. The player with the highest score is theplayer who has hit the greatest number of illuminated targets within theallotted time period.

Another game that can be played is called “Play Tune”. A target or agroup of targets 14-26 is lit. The children have to throw balls at a littarget to play a tune. Each target or group of targets light up in amemorizable sequential order and will emit parts of a tune. The tunewill be emitted from the audio speaker 38. The aforementioned games aremerely exemplary of the different types of games that can be played asthere could be numerous different types of games.

1. A ball return game comprising: a plurality of backboards located in aspaced apart and proximate arrangement, each said backboard having aplurality of target areas with said target areas being spread out in aspaced apart manner across each said backboard, each said target areahaving a vibration sensitive sensor; each said backboard being adaptedto have propelled against it a ball by a player with there being aplurality of players with there being a single player per backboard; andupon a ball striking a said target area an electrical pulse istransmitted by said sensor to a microprocessor and a scoring valueaccumulated for each said backboard with the scoring values of all saidbackboards being displayed with a competitive environment between theplayers being obtained.
 2. The ball return game as defined in claim 1wherein: each of said backboards being identical.
 3. The ball returngame as defined in claim 1 wherein: each said backboard includingindicia in the area of each said target.
 4. The ball return game asdefined in claim 3 wherein: said indicia comprising a unique shape foreach said target.
 5. The ball return game as defined in claim 3 wherein:said indicia comprising a unique numerical value for each said target.6. The ball return game as defined in claim 1 wherein: there beinglocated directly adjacent each said backboard a series of playerdetermining locations, a player is to position himself or herselfdirectly at a player determining location when propelling of a ball tothe respective said backboard, depending upon which player determininglocation the player is located at the level of difficulty of playing thegame with the said backboard can be varied.
 7. A method of playing agame comprising: utilizing a plurality of ball return backboards withsaid backboards located spaced apart but proximate; designing withineach said backboard a plurality of shock sensitive targets with saidtargets being spread out across each said backboard; and connectingelectrically said targets to a score displaying structure where eachscore for each backboard is displayed where the score of said backboardis increased upon a ball striking a shock sensitive target so acompetitive environment is produced between players of said backboards.8. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein: placing a series of playerdetermining locations in front of each said backboard so players canhave an option of selecting a level of difficulty of play by locatinghimself or herself at a said specific determining location as eachdetermining location establishes a different level of difficulty ofplay.
 9. The method of playing a game as defined in claim 8 wherein thedesigning step also includes placing on each said backboard a shapeindicia with each said target having different shape indicia.
 10. Themethod of playing a game as defined in claim 7 wherein the designingstep also includes placing on each said backboard a numerical value inconjunction with each said target with each said target having adifferent numerical value.